Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my!
by ArtificiallyBlonde
Summary: Tigress, a member of a rogue gang, is built for and lives to kill. But when she meets a tom who can soften her heart, she doesn't know whether to run with him or run with the gang. Can she do both? Maybe... Read and Review, please.
1. The Eavesdropper

**A/N: This is a story based on the Warriors saga, but set sometime in the future after the series so there are a lot of OCs. **

**I don't own the Warriors saga, the clans, or any CCs mentioned. Erin Hunter does. [Aw, too bad.]**

Three cats stood hidden in the shadows. They hadn't bothered to find the clearing they had originally planned to meet in, and the darkness suited them just fine. The largest of them, a bulky-looking tom, stood up slowly and turned to the other two, who sat to his right.

"Have you decided...?" One of the smaller two asked. The tom nodded.

"Yes. But not tonight." His voice was deep and gravelly.

"Whe-" The only she-cat of the trio was cut off by a rustling sound behind them. She turned and shot off like a rocket, chasing after the cat that had been watching them.

There was a yowl as the smaller-but much faster-she-cat caught up with the tom and pounced, pinning him to the ground within a second.

"How much did you hear?" She growled, pressing a paw to his throat just enough to scare him, but not so much that he couldn't speak.

"I-I-I didn't h-h-hear any th-thing!" He replied, eyes wide in fear.

The moon was perched high in the sky, only half-full. It was enough light to cast a silvering glow on the scene, however, illuminating it and setting the scene quite wonderfully.

The she-cat was a ghost on earth as her flame-colored coat was bleached by the moonlight. Her golden-amber eyes only grew more intense with the added light, often reflecting it to make it look as if they were glowing. She looked beautiful, entrancing, and extremely dangerous all at once, like a venomous snake. She had a lithe but muscular frame, and was stronger than she looked. The jagged, black stripes that zigzagged across her coat only added to this, giving her a battle-worn look.

"You fox dung liar!" She hissed, pressing her paw harder down on his throat before loosening it again, just enough for him to speak.

"Please...Please just let me go...I won't tell anyone about you, I promise..." He managed to gasp out.

She looked him over. He was a handsome black tom, with a small patch of white on his chest and both of his front paws white as well, just up to his ankle. His wide, green eyes were full of...not fear, but simply desperation.

"You got a family or somethin'?" Tigress asked, her voice less of a growl and more of a normal tone now. She silently cursed herself, and snarled at him when he hesitated.

"N-no. I live on my own, out in the forest." He stuttered again, feeling like a pathetic loser as he spoke the words out loud.

A pang of sympathy sliced through her, but she caught herself. No. She was an assassin, she would not feel sympathy.

"Well then no one should miss you." She forced herself to growl, but could tell that he could see through it.

Damn emotions. They were getting in the way. She raised a paw, unsheathing her claws, poised to strike.

The tom shut his eyes and waited for it. And waited. And waited. It never came.

Tigress couldn't bring herself to do it. _He doesn't have a family. _She told herself. _He lives by himself. Why should he stay alive...? _She couldn't do it, though. Something about the way that the tom didn't quite look fearful, but simply determined, determined to stay alive and to keep living. Even if he didn't have a lot to live for.

She sighed. There was no way she could do this.

He opened one eye to see that she looked defeated, and climbed off of him. "Run as far as you can and don't ever come back, got it?" She said flatly, hissing at him as he stood up and obeyed, running out of sight quickly.

Bear, the dusky brown tom that had been waiting with the bulky golden one, appeared just then. "Did you manage it by yourself?" He asked, looking around.

"It was just a rabbit," Tigress lied. She hated lying to her brother, but if she told him the truth...She didn't want to think about it. "I couldn't catch it."

"Oh." He brother looked a bit disappointed. "Well, come on. Lion's waiting. I think he has another assignment for you."

"Great." She tried to put enthusiasm into her reply, but it came out flat. Her brother looked at her with concern, a silent question hanging in the air.

"I'm fine, just tired. I've had a lot of assignments lately, alright? Don't give me that look."

Her brother nodded, seeming satisfied, and walked back with her to the spot where their boss sat, waiting.

**A/N: That's it for now...I know it doesn't seem Warriors-y at all, but the Clans and stuff come in later, probably the next chapter or so. ^^ Please read and review, even if you didn't like it, I'd love to know why and I love critique! Oh, and sorry it's so short. I'll try to make the next one longer. :)  
****EDIT: Okay, so I saw the typos and I think I fixed them. [I'm looking for a beta to help with my spelling as well ^^]**


	2. The Dream

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing, that like made my day! I got so excited that random strangers had read my story and that they liked it, and I just like had a break down...Thanks again for the reviews, and for the advice. ^^ I took it, and changed the first chapter a little bit. [See if you can guess what I changed xD] Anyway thanks a ton, and don't worry this IS going to turn into a love story. I'm a fluff addict, so I find it difficult to write anything but romance xD**

**Warriors, the Clans, and any OCs mentioned belong to Erin Hunter. At least I still have Lion, Bear, and Tigress! [Plus the tom that I don't have a name for yet...any suggestions?]**

**On with the story!**

Tigress sighed, practically collapsing on top of her brother. Bear moved at the last second, smirking at his sister's exhausted state.

"What assignment did he give you?" He asked. _Musta been a hard one._

"I am to go to Thunderclan tomorrow, get caught 'stealing' prey, and then break for it. Hopefully they'll give chase for the fresh-kill, so I can lead that patrol here, but if they don't, I'll have to go back and-"

"Hold on," He interrupted her. "This sounds like something Lion would do, not tell you to do."

She sighed. "I guess the lazy piece of fox dung doesn't want to do work any more." She said, shrugging.

"I could help you with it, if you want." Bear suggested, sitting down next to his sister, who was sprawled out as if she were dead.

"Nah," She replied. "I've done worse before, I think I can handle it."

"Hm." He thought it over for a moment before he made his proposal. "How about I go along in case there's any dirty work involved, but if there isn't, I will stay hidden in the shadows until you require my assistance."

The striped she-cat rolled her eyes. Her brother probably wasn't going to give up any time soon.

They were back at camp, which was about an hour's walk/run from where she had last seen the tom. It was a pleasant enough place to call home, safely hidden from dangerous animals and sheltered from the weather. It was within a small ravine, surrounded by thick a thick forest. The canopy overheard blocked out most of the moonlight, save for a few dapples of it here and there on the dusty ground. One of these dapples currently had settled over Tigress' eye, forcing her to close it to keep the light away, despite how soft it was.

"Fine." She replied, finally rolling over so that the light wasn't in her eye. "Can I take a nap now? Please?"

"Sure, sis." He mewed, smiling as he went to sit in the middle of their 'camp' to guard.

_The entire forest was so bright. Sunlight bathed everything with a golden glow, including her own coat. She looked around. Where was she?_

_She sat next to a small stream, the bank beneath her not mud but smooth pebbles. She could see tiny fish swimming around in the stream. _

_Why was she here? And where was 'here'? _

_In the midst of her questioning herself, there was rustling sound from the ferns around her. She jumped about a tail-length into the air, startled, before she realized it was a cat. _

_He stepped out, and she gaped. It was the tom she had freed, but he looked...different. More confident, stronger. His bright green eyes were shimmery, and full of pride. _

_"What are you doing here?" Tigress hissed. "I told you to run away and to never come back."_

_He shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. What are _you_ doing here?" He asked, looking suspicious._

_"I..." She hesitated. "I don't know." _

_"Well then, it seems you have no reason to be mad at me, when you don't even know where you are or why." He chuckled. "Not very nice to be the one without knowledge, huh?" _

_She growled. "Oh, shut up. You're such a coward."_

_"Pardon?"_

_"You didn't put up a fight." She pointed out. "Yesterday."_

_He blinked at her. After a few moments, he replied, speaking slowly, as if explaining something to a kit. _

_"You were pinning me down, and looked like you were about to kill me. Even if I had put up a fight, you probably would have killed me."_

_"No, I wouldn't have." It was out of her mouth before she even realized it. _

_He looked confused. _

_"Tigress? Tigress?" A pause. "Tigress! Tigress, get up!" It wasn't the tom speaking-it was Tigress' brother._

Tigress blinked awake, looking confused. "Wha-?" She slurred, eyes sticky with the remnants of her sleep.

Bear gave her a shove. "Wake _up, _Tigress! We gotta go, like, now!"

She looked up lazily. Above her brother's worried face, she could see the sky. The moon had gone down, and the sun was high in the sky, nearly blinding her.

She shut her eyes and shakily got to her paws. When she was back on her feet and opened her eyes, blinking a lot to adjust, she saw that Bear was already climbing out of the ravine.

She hurried along behind him, scrabbling to get over the rocks and out of the ravine.

She thought about the tom as she followed her brother through the forest. Why had she dreamed about him? Was it just a coincidence, that perhaps thinking of the tom when she fell asleep made her dream of him? But then, why was she still thinking about him in the first place?

She shook her head, running to catch up with Bear. She needed to get the pesky cat out of her head; she had a job to do.

**A/N: And again, it's still pretty short. -_- Sorry, but it is a hundred or so words longer than the first one. Anyway, Thanks for reading. Sorry it took me a while to update it, hope you enjoyed this short little chapter. ^_^ **


	3. The Failed Plan

**A/N: Okay, so obviously I'm a worse speller than I thought. -_- Sorry, guys. I promise I'm going to get a beta! By the way, most chapters are going to be Tigress POV. ^^**

**I don't own Warriors, CCs, Clans, blah blah blah. You get the point. The plot, the gang, and OCs are all mine, though!**

Pain shot through her left hind leg, where a long gash was bleeding. Tigress had to limp, keeping weight off of said leg so the injury wouldn't worsen on their way back to camp. She turned to look at her brother; he was in a worse state.

Bear's dusky brown fur was matted with blood and clumped with dirt. He was limping heavily, a clawed front leg and right shoulder, along with a long wound across his flank. Thankfully, that wound wasn't too deep and wasn't bleeding very much. The normally-proud tom had to lean on his sister as she lead him slowly back to their camp.

Needless to say, all had not gone according to plan. Normally, the patrols Thunderclan sent out would only have three cats, two warriors and an apprentice. They thought they'd be able to handle that, apprentices being easy kills for skilled assassins.

They did not, however, predict the five-cat patrol group that happened upon them. They also did not predict that said patrol group would consist of three warriors and two apprentices.

They'd put up a good fight, but in the end had to retreat, bearing wounds that would surely leave behind nasty scars.

They reached camp, and after a few moments of hesitation, Tigress began to lead her bleeding brother carefully down the rocky path into their safe, sheltered camp.

Lion was waiting for them, sitting proudly in the center of the clearing with a half-eaten rabbit beside him.

"Lion..." She began, but he had already gotten up and crossed the clearing. Tigress had never really thought about it, but the tom was truly huge. He was a good couple mouse-lengths-or heights-taller than she, and had much more muscle. His claws were the worst. They were twice as long as normal claws, and thicker, probably to be in proportion with the rest of him. Those things could rip you apart in seconds.

Surprisingly, the huge tom also had a good knowledge of herbs and such, and usually cared for their wounds. Now, he roughly shove Bear to his feet, Tigress saw her brother wince, and then he was ushered into Lion's dug-out den. She felt a pang of sympathy for her brother. If the past was any consolation, Lion would do the bare minimum to treat Bear's wounds and then shove him back into a fight.

And she knew the same would go for her, but her assignments were usually so much easier. Bear did the dirty work, so he was the one who battled. Tigress was a spy, the brains of the group. Her jobs were usually more secretive, and almost always safer. Unless she got caught, but that was rare.

Tigress lay down, wincing at the pain before sighing as she got into a comfortable position that kept all weight off of her injured leg. The sun had gone down, and again the moon had come out. She yawned, worn out from her day's activities. But it was difficult to rest when she was worrying about her brother and had a hurt leg, but she must have drifted off at some point, because she then felt a large paw shaking her out of a sleepy haze.

"Yeah, what?" She asked, slowly getting to her paws, only to remember with a jolt of pain that her leg was hurt. She turned to look at it; the blood had dried and was now caked to her fur, and looked positively disgusting. Had she been laying on it? It was covered with dust and dirt.

"Come on." Lion ordered impatiently, glaring at her. "I'll treat your wounds now."

There was no sympathy in his voice, only coldness. It was as if he didn't want to treat her wounds, but he knew he had to. Like an apprentice indignantly changing the elder's bedding even though they hated the chore.

She shakily followed him into his den, forcing a smile at her brother as she went. He smiled back nervously, sitting by the entrance to the den, watching her but not following.

Tigress didn't like Lion's den. She had been in it only a few times before, and it still looked exactly the same. A dirty, dug-out cavern that smelled of rotten leaves and dead things mixed with a spicy herbal scent. It made her nose hurt, and not because of the cut that ran across it.

Lion lead her over to a corner where a stock of herbs lay. She spotted piles of marigold, horsetail, and was that catnip? She almost leaned closer to inspect it, but stopped herself.

Lion instructed her to sit and show him the wound, and she obeyed. She plopped down on a pile of moss nearby and let him examine her leg before he applied marigold. _That keeps it from getting infected, _She thought absently.

Since the bleeding had already stopped, Lion didn't need to do much and then quickly shooed her out of his den. She didn't waste time quickly limping out of the den to see a very worried looking Bear crouched with a starling in front of him.

She limped over and nudged him with her nose. "You okay?" She asked, settling down beside him and taking a bite out of the starling, which he had barely started.

"Yeah, fine. Just tired, ya know?" He asked, smiling. Tigress could tell it was forced. He began to munch half-heartedly on the starling.

Tigress joined him, then sat back when they had finished it.

"I am so tired." Bear stated blatantly, yawning. Tigress copied him.

"Me too." She looked over at her brother. His wounds looked worse than hers; she hoped they didn't hurt too much. "You go to sleep, I'll watch tonight."

He looked as if he were going to oppose, then changed his mind and just nodded sleepily. He curled into a tight ball, with care for his injuries, and closed his eyes. Tigress heard him snoring within a few moments.

She got to her paws carefully and padded over to the familiar spot at the center of camp. She sat down and gazed around through half-lidded amber eyes.

It wasn't long before the 'guard' had fallen fast asleep, sprawled out on the dusty ground with her paws in the air. That night, the only dreams she had were of silence and blackness; the dreams of deep, uninterrupted slumber.

**A/N: Yeah, that was a useless chapter. WHY DID I WRITE THIS? I don't know. Honestly. **

**So anyway, a couple announcements.**

**1] The next chapter has already been started, but I won't post it until I get, say, four more reviews [eight all together]. Does that sound fair? **

**2] The next chapter will the tom's POV, so very little of Bear and Lion. [Sorry for all you Bear fans ^^]**

**3]I promise I am looking for a beta, okay? 'Cause I'm a terrible speller and this computer doesn't have spellcheck. So, so, so, SO sorry for all the typos and any words I misspelled. Bear [bare? Idk] with me, peoples! **

**And thank you thank you thank you thank you to everyone who reviewed, or is going to review. You guys are like the reason I was too excited to sleep last night and ended up taking a nap this morning, which lead to me writing this so late. xD Love you all!**


	4. The Accidental Meeting

**A/N: So, thanks to the filler chapter, I had a bit of time to get my muse back up. And -drum roll please- here's the mysterious tom that I promised! It's first-person, but next chapter I'll probably go back to third. DON'T GET CONFUSED KAY? xD**

**I own NOTHING at all. Except the gang, the plot, and my mysterious little kitty boy. ^^**

I stirred from my slumber, yawning and blinking at the sudden brightness that flooded my vision. Was it daytime already?

_That dream lasted longer than it seemed. _I thought, thinking back to the dream. It was odd, I thought I had already forgotten the striped she-cat. But apparently not.

I had dreamed that the beautiful, dangerous cat had been casually sitting by a stream, so of course I approached her. She had seemed startled and instantly went into offense-mode.

Starclan, she was feisty.

Maybe that was what drew me to the ravine the next day.

The sun shone high in the sky, just like the day before. I stalked through the undergrowth, on a path I knew well. It felt odd, going to the place again, though I had thought it uninhabited before. But logic suggested that I had been wrong.

I had just reached the edge of the trees when I heard it. Paw steps. Very uneven. Someone was limping?

I didn't dare move as I noticed a rocky path down the ravine, where two cats were wearily making their way down.

My blood heated as I saw her and I fought the urge to run out and help her. She was injured, that was easy enough to see from here, a long gash down her hind leg and a few on her flank. And on top of that, she was practically carrying the other cat down. He looked like he had gotten the worse of the fight; a long gash on his side, a deep cut on one shoulder, and scratches across his face that would surely leave ugly scars.

I could see it; it was easy enough. The way she gently lead him down into the clearing, the tender way she set him down. That look of love in her eyes.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It didn't surprise me, that a gorgeous she-cat like her already had a mate. But I couldn't help being a bit...jealous.

_Wait a minute! _I shook my head slightly, stopping that train of thought. I didn't even know the girl! What was I thinking?

I watched as a huge, and I mean HUGE, tomcat stood up from where he was in the center of camp. Huh. I hadn't even noticed him there. Which was surprising, because I'm telling you, this dude was giant.

The tom walked over to the she-cat and the tom, who, by now, I was pretty sure was her mate. He roughly shoved the dusky brown tom into a den on the side of cap.

I watched as the golden coat disappeared in after the mouse-colored one. Then my gaze fixed on the she-cat who sat in the center of their little camp, looking worried. I probably would have been, too. You don't trust a scary-looking cat like that. At all.

I stared wistfully down at the gorgeous she-cat. She sat still for a while, but looked like she was restless. However, this was not the case, I realized, when she lay down and seemed to have fallen asleep. I snickered quietly. But she looked like she had had a rough day; she deserved some sleep.

While she was asleep and the others were in the den, I decided it'd be a good time to leave. I very carefully, very quietly got to my paws and turned around, going at a fast trot back towards my home.

The next day, or night, technically, I couldn't sleep. My leafy den wasn't comforting, and it felt too warm. Stupid Greenleaf.

I crept out of my den and stretched. The moon was almost full now, bathing the little clearing with a silver layer of light. I yawned and started out.

The forest was alive with creatures both big and small. I could hear them, though I hardly saw any. Crickets chirping, owls calling out from their hideouts, and at one point I think I saw a raccoon's tail disappearing behind a tree.

I didn't pay any attention to where I was going, really, just let me paws lead me. They lead me straight back to the gang's camp. This didn't surprise me.

I kind of hung back at first, staring down at the rocky path that lead into the ravine. I debated what I should do, and was just about to go down the path when I heard something. It was so slight, I almost didn't catch it.

"I'm going to get in so much trouble if Lion finds out I left my post..."

It was a whisper. A very worried sounding whisper. And it belonged to that beautiful striped she-cat that had invaded my dreams.

I squished myself back into the undergrowth as best as I could. I must have been hidden pretty well, because the orange and black she-cat that walked right past me didn't even notice my presence. I watched as she glanced around nervously, before breaking into a run through the forest.

I decided on a whim to follow her, but had trouble keeping up with the long-legged beauty. She was swift and graceful, unlike me, because I was stumbling the whole way. I had to stay a good ways behind her so that she didn't see or hear me stumbling, tripping, etc.

She seemed to finally reach her destination, after about fifteen minutes of running. _Damn_, that cat could run.

I hid behind a small rock and watched as she approached a small stream. She looked down into the water for a moment, before looking around the clearing. The bank, where it normally would have been mud, was smooth gray pebbles. That was odd.

The she-cat, whose name I now wondered, looked into a small clump of ferns beside the clearing, then checked the bushes all the way around. Thank Starclan she didn't check behind any rocks.

It took me a moment to figure it out: this clearing was the one from my dream. The dream where we met. But then...why was she here? It wasn't possible that she had had the dream, too...right?

"Then why-" I didn't even realize that I had spoken. But obviously _she _did.

She spun around fast that I could have thought possible and suddenly appeared directly in front of me, less than a mouse length away.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

**A/N: Okay, so I told myself I was going to write a cliff hanger. Not sure if this counts. xD **

**Anyway, so, yeah I cracked. I just couldn't hold out for those two reviews! So you guys got lucky. ^^ **

**I WRITE FASTER IF I GET REVIEWS. **

**Love you all, hope you enjoyed a quick look into the mystery cat's mind. **

**And for those of you dying to know his name, I'll tell you. **

**In the next chapter. xD**


	5. The Mysterious Admirer

**A/N: This took forever, 'cause my muse is low lately. Sorry.**

**I don't own CCs, Warriors, blah blah blah, whatever.**

How could she not have seen this coming? She checked to make sure she wasn't being followed, scented  
the area, and Bear and Lion had both been asleep when she left. But she still became compromised!

What kind of spy was she if she couldn't even tell when she was being spied on?

_A terrible one,_ she thought, mentally cursing herself for not checking the area better and not looking  
over her shoulder more often -anything that would have prevented her from followed. She must have  
been too distracted -too busy thinking about the dream she had to be careful about her position.

The dream...

She could recall it as if she had just dreamt it. The images were crystal clear -it had sounded, felt, and  
smelled so surreal. It was hard for Tigress to remember it actually was a dream, and not an occasion that  
happened in the half-dazed and sleepy state accompanied by the late night.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, trying to hide the surprise in her tone.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied coolly. Tigress panicked.

"I came here to get a drink," she replied, almost too quickly. Tigress mentally chided herself. "Your turn."

"I'm going to be truthful, unlike you," he said, stretching as he came out of the rock he had been hiding  
behind. Was he for real? How could he be acting like everything was fine –like they weren't practically  
enemies. He was luring her into a false sense of security. Good move. If only Tigress could act like that. "I  
came here because I was following you."

She blinked, suddenly curious. Her brow furrowed as she asked:

"You were following me? Why?"

"Because, like any cat, I am very curious. I was wondering why a beautiful cat like you would venture out  
into the dangerous forest at this time of night. And, on top of that, you abandoned your guard duty."

She felt her ears go hot. Had he followed her all the way from camp? She must really have been off her  
game to be tracked so easily.

"So," he continued, "I think -after all my valiant efforts to make sure you're okay -I should at least get to  
know your name."

Her ears felt even hotter. "That's none of your business." She spat this out harshly, already beginning to make her way out of the clearing. The black and white tom blocked her path, blinking with innocent green eyes.

"I think I deserve it."

"Fine," she growled, "It's Tigress."

"Ooh…" he said, a mischievous glint in his eye, "What a fitting name for such a gorgeous she-cat."

Her fur was on fire. Or at least, that's what it felt like. Trying to keep a calm and collected composure  
she asked, "So what's your name?" Tigress tried to add a hint of hostility to her tone, but it didn't quite  
work. Her embarrassment was too great. Damn. How could he control her emotions in this way…?

"Sherlock," he said simply, "Sherlock the Mysterious."

"Fancy name for a rat like yourself," she said, finally getting herself together.

Normally, she would have laughed at the mock hurt on his face. But this is not a normal time. She's  
standing in a clearing in the middle of the night with a tom that she had almost killed –one whom she  
then had literally dreamt about.

This was turning out to be a _very_ weird night.

He took one step closer to her. They still had a bit of distance between them, but the gesture made  
Tigress uneasy.

"Do you always lash out at your admirers?" he asked, his voice even. He didn't sound as if he was  
accusing her, just simply curious.

"W-What?" she asked, looking shocked. Was he saying he _admired her_? For _what_? She wasn't exactly  
worth admiring, in her own opinion.

"Forget I asked," he said quickly, "Maybe I should just go."

She blinked, struggling to regain her composure. "Maybe you should. A-and don't come back anywhere  
near my camp, you got it?" She forced herself to growl, though an odd mix of emotion seeped into her  
voice.

She watched the tom's retreating figure disappear before she turned on her heel and ran back to camp.  
Her stomach twisted as she thought about his question. Did he mean that he admired her? Why?

She slowed to a stop, panting, just outside of camp. She narrowly avoided stepping in a puddle, then  
turned back. She waited until the water settled before looking at her reflection -bright amber eyes, black  
teardrop markings, and tall ears with pointed tufts of fur sticking off the top. She wasn't very pretty -in  
her own opinion -but maybe the tom thought so. She sighed.

_He was probably just trying to confuse me, to trick me, or something of that sort,_ she thought. That seemed logical. Yes, he had been trying to trick her. That was it.

With that in mind, she dragged herself back into camp, her paws aching and her legs stiff. She didn't  
even bother to try to guard camp, she simply curled up into a tight ball in the center of camp and fell  
asleep.

**A/N: This story was beta'd by the lovely and ever-awesome Queen of the Squares! She went through quite a bit of trouble trying to send this to me [Fanfiction is glitching] so I would like to thank her. ^^ Hope you enjoyed reading this.**


	6. The Storm

**A/N: This chapter is the Tom's first-cat POV. ^^ Enjoy.**

**I don't own Warriors. If I did, I'd have a much better computer.**

I stalked away from the little clearing, my mood spoiled. I was frustrated not only at the she-cat, Tigress, but also at myself.

_"Do you always lash out at your admirers?" _Where had_ that_ come from?

That was the one thing that I hated about myself: No filter. I just say my thoughts, and while some may think that it was good that I openly expressed my opinion, most of the time it just got me into trouble. As it had in the little 'meeting'.

It was obvious, since I wasn't one for lies, that it was exactly what I had been thinking. I admired her, and she lashed out at me. But why? Why did I admire her? Why did she seem to hate me?

Questions like this and more buzzed through my mind, making me dizzy as I walked through the forest, dodging thorn bushes and other annoying shrubbery. After about half an hour, I reached by cozy little den—well, almost. It wasn't what most would call 'comfortable', but it was home. My home.

I slowly walked inside and sighed. Yawning, I went over to the little nest of leaves at the back corner, and ignoring my growling stomach, I curled up in it and fell asleep quickly.

My dreams were plauged by that beautiful face; the bright, shimmering orange fur, those bright amber eyes, that adorable pink nose. Starclan, that she-cat was gorgeous. But was that really the only reason I felt myself falling for her?

I thought back to the night we met. It took me a moment, even though it had only been a couple nights ago.

_The shining moonlight, the low rustling of leaves in the breeze. The only other sound heard was the hushed whispers of cats, somewhere in the forest. The shadow of a cat stalking through the bushes, trying desperately to catch something—_

_"Yes, but not tonight." Was all that was heard._

_A slow, careful step forward, and a bush beside the shadow rustled with its movements. _

_There. That was it. That was what made that tiger-like cat jump out, racing after the shadowy cat before the caught him and pinned him down. _

_But she had let him go. Let him live, when any other cat would have been killed. Why? Why would she do that? Especially for a complete stranger—_

My dream, or rather, memory, was interupted by a clap of thunder. It was _loud. _I jumped up and looked outside. The wind was howling, the sky impossibly dark and cloudy. Flashes of lightning within the clouds startled me again and I jumped back, heart racing. This little bush wouldn't survive the storm.

Where would I go? Where would be safe? If I wasn't careful, I could be seriously injured by something flying around because of the storm. And when you live on your own, serious injury almost always meant death.

A sudden thought came to mind. The gangs' camp! That golden scary-looking one had an underground den. That would be safe. And they wouldn't just not let me in, right? They would at least pity me enough to let me have shelter, right?

I decided that they would and quickly set off. The rain pounded against my fur, soaking me within seconds. I shivered, soaked to the bone and now freezing cold. The wind howled even louder, piercing my ears and pounding through my skull along with the loud claps of thunder, and the bright flashes of lightning. It was sensory overload.

I raced through the forest, shivering uncontrollably and my heart racing. My skull was pounding in time to the thunder, and my paws ached already from the cold.

I reached their camp without injury, though I had almost died of a heart attack when a tree near me had been struck by lightning.

The whole place looked like heaven to me, though it might have looked like a watery version of hell to others. The dirt on the ground had been washed away to reveal that it was stone beneath it, and the entire camp was at a tilt so that rain water simply flowed down, instead of filling the place up like a bowl.

I quickly ran over to it and didn't hesitate to slip inside. The first thing I noticed was that the place was warm. The second that I noticed was that it was completely empty.

I looked around. There was no nest, no evidence of a cat ever being there, and there were definitely not any cats. Well then, I guess I wouldn't say no to a free place to stay the night, especially since there wasn't any scary gold tom to kick me out.

I padded deeper inside the little cavern until I was at the back wall, then sat down on the cold dirt ground. I felt rather awkward, really, like I was intruding even though no cat was here.

And besides, I told myself, they're criminals, it's not like they have any room to judge me for coming into their place. Plus I was out of the rain, which was a relief, and it was warm, and dry...

Before I knew it, I had fallen over onto the ground, fast asleep.

_A flash of lightning, a clap of thunder. Sheets of rain fell heavily from the sky, soaking the cat's pelt in seconds. It was dark, and her could hardly see his paws in front of him. He ran blindly, panting heavily, the rain doing nothing to cool him as he bolted through the grass._

_Wait...grass..._

_There was no undergrowth here, or even trees. It looked like a desert, nothing but now-muddy ground, thick grass and rolling hills. Where was he? He had never seen a place like this before, except-_

I jolted upright as a particularly loud clap of thunder boomed through my ears. I realized with a start that I had been sleeping in a puddle of water, and the fur of my flank and belly was now thoroughly soaked.

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY. I typed this out, and then, like, lost it for a month. -sobsob- **

**Yes, I left this where it is, because right now its past midnight and I am going to start on the next chapter. This one didn't get beta'd, so sorry if there are any errors in it.**


	7. The Storm Continued

I jolted upright as a particularly loud clap of thunder boomed through my ears. I realized with a start that I had been sleeping in a puddle of water, and the fur of my flank and belly was now thoroughly soaked.

OoOoOoO

The first thing I did was shiver. Great Starclan, this water was _freezing_! The second thing i did was make sure the exit was safe. Seeing that the little tunnel was almost full of water, I decided to just risk it. I held my breath and ran towards my escape.

The water filled my ears, making them ache and twitch. Every bit of my body was freezing, and going numb quickly. As soon as it had started, though, I was out of the tunnel and my head was above the water. I gasped for air, quickly running out of the deep river that had become of the camp. I scrambled up the little ravine and dared to take a glance over my shoulder.

The entire camp was flooded, and had become a deep river that was quickly rising from the rain, which still hadn't let up. the sky was dark, lightning flashing every few seconds to illuminate the scene eerily before everything was once again cast in darkness.

I was panting, still trying to catch my breath from my swim. It hadn't been that much work, but the cold had knocked the air out of me, not to mention I had never swam before in my life-Most of the energy was spent on panicking as realization set in that I had no clue how to swim.

But I wouldn't be alive if I didn't know how to adapt and learn on the fly. I was thankful for those skills, but I didn't have time to pray because right then, a loud clap echoed through the forest as lightning struck a tree about two fox-lenghts away from me. I jumped backwards, colliding with the furry being that had been behind me.

"Idiot!" I heard a familiar voice hiss. I turned to see Tigress, her bright fur plastered to her body, looking angry but lovely as ever.

"Oh, hello," I said, shooting her a quick smile.

"Come on, follow me. Quickly!" She snarled, and turned before I got a chance to reply. She sprinted off in the opposite direction of the tree that had been struck, and with one last glance at it, I ran after her.

I am not jesting when I say that that she-cat can _run. _She was incredible fast, her long legs being able to carry her along quicker than mine. I lagged a fox-length behind her, and fallen limbs or roots that she would nimble leap over, I tripped and had to run faster to try and catch up with her. (Which always failed, of course)

My breath was ragged and uneven by the time she started to slow down, but my heart continued to race even as we were both now just trotting along.

The terrain had changed. We were no longer in the woody area near her camp, surrounded by trees. Here, it was all grassy hills. Rain ran off my fur, and I shivered. Now that we had slowed down, the cold was settling in again, chilling me to the bone. I was envious of Tigress, with her thick fur, she showed no signs of discomfort from the rain or the cold.

The grass was soaked, and the soil underneath it sloshy and muddy. For every step I took, there was a clear '_squish_' sound where my paw had landed. I couldn't help but notice that Tigress's pawsteps were silent. I pondered how that was even possible as we neared a small cluster of trees, on the top of a tall, rocky hill.

Tigress leaped gracefully from rock to rock, up the hill. I followed a bit clumsily, tripping more than a couple times. When I reached the top, I just barely saw the tip of an orange tail disappearing into the trees. I hurried in after it, Slowly once I had caught sight of Tigress. She had slowed to a walk, thankfully, and she was following a soft dirt path instead of running wildly through the trees.

I caught up with her, so that I could walk beside her. she cast a sideways glance at me, but other than that didn't react.

"Some storm, huh?" I said, hoping to start a conversation. It was still pouring, but the thunder had quieted, and the lightning seemed less frequent. The trees also added a bit of protecting; not as much rain was able to filter through the thick canopy.

Tigress rolled her eyes, then slowed to a stop in front of an oddly shaped bush. It kind of looked like a flower, for some reason. It had dark green leaves, and lots of them. It was pretty big, too, and reminded me of one of the dens I saw when I had visited Thunderclan's camp. Tigress walked in, and I followed.

I was surprised by two things: One, it was warm and dry in the bush, and two, the inside looked more like a cave of sticks rather than a bush.

Sticks and twigs of all sizes had been weaved around the inside of the bush, insulating it and keeping the natural elements at bay. The floor was soft, dry soil, with a couple small nests lined with plush green moss. It looked like a great place to live...A lot better than my place, considering it looked flood-proof.

Tigress gestured to one of the nests. "You can sleep there." She mewed, before turning to leave.

"Wait!" I called. She froze, then turned to look me in the eye. Her eyes were so beautiful...the amber such a rich shade, like honey. I didn't have time to stare, though. She'd probably leave if I didn't say something soon.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked.

The pupils in those golden orbs went wide, obviously surprised by my inquiry.

"I...I don't know." She said, casting her eyes downwards. She looked...embarrassed. "But let's get one thing straight."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. I was silent, though, waiting for her to finish.

"If anycat asks, this _never _happened." As soon as she said it, she was gone, disappearing out of the bush.

I ran and looked out, but all I could see was her figure retreating quickly into the trees. I sighed, pulling my head back inside the den and glancing around.

_Better get some sleep. I hope she doesn't attack me while I'm out cold. _I thought, curling up in the little mossy nest. I was asleep within seconds, exhaustion taking over my being until everything faded to black.

**A/N: WELL THAT TOOK A WHILE. Sorry. I was going to just do my usual, 'Oh, I'll do it later.' But then I went and checked and HOYL CRAP, OVER LIKE FOUR HUNDRED VIEWS. So I wrote it. **

**However, I do have a request...I've noticed something. 400-something views and, like, 16 reviews. now, don't get me wrong, i love views. and the reviews I've been getting are awesomesauce epicness. but if like, four hundred people have read this (which isn't the case, because one person could probably view it like ten times, but that isn't the point) but I have less than twenty reviews...So, here's my request. Those of you who read this and then think, 'Oh, she knows this is awesome, I don't need to tell her.' or, 'This is bad, but I don't want to have to tell her that.' DO IT, OKAY? EVEN CRITISM IS SO VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. I /LOVE/ REVIEWS. THEY'RE EPIC NO MATTER WHAT. SO PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE, PLEEEEEEEEASE REVIEW, OKAY? :D -HUGS-**


	8. The Internal Conflict

Tigress shook her head, mentally chiding herself. She didn't know why she was helping that damn tom-Sherlock was his name, or something-but she was doing it anyway. _Oh starclan, if Lion found out what I was doing...I'd be clawed to death in a heartbeat. _

She would have liked to think that she would only be kicked out of the gang, but she knew it wouldn't be so. Lion was ruthless-known as one who never kept prisoners or let anyone go. Tigress was well aware of it. She also could see his logic, though; if one cat who knew about the gang told three others, who would each tell three others, who would each tell three others...Easily, every clan could know about them within a fortnight.

So if the risks were so high, why was she still doing it...? She didn't know Sherlock at all, and he had done nothing to benefit her. She didn't owe him anything. And yet, she still felt the desire to help him, in any way she could.

_Dammit, what is he doing to me?! I'm supposed to be a ruthless assassin...not some love-sick kit. _She scowled at her own reflection in a puddle as she walked past.

Could it be that she had...actual _feelings_ for him?

No, no, no. That wasn't possible. Tigress, _the _Tigress, did _not _fall head-over-paws for charming loners. He was probably just using her, anyway. Tricking her into thinking she felt something towards him so that she would help him. She did have a lot more experiance and resources, after all.

She so desperately wanted to believe that. She wished she could. But there was always the nagging voice at the back of her mind that said it wasn't true.

She shook her head in an effort to clear it. It didn't really work, but it did succeed in making her take her eyes off the path she was on...and end up head-butting a tree.

_Dammit dammit dammit. _She thought, stepping back and shaking her head again, though gentler this time. What was happening to her? She was _never _clumsy like this. She never second-guessed herself. And she cretainly never showed mercy or concern for anycat other than herself. But now, everything that she was, everything that made her who she was- or at least she though -was gone.

She was so confused. She didn't know why she was acting like this. The only reasonable cause would be that she...liked the tom.

_No. No. No, no, no. _She growled quietly at herself. There had to be another reason. She would just have to think about it. For a while. Maybe ask Bear about it- Wait, what?

No, she couldn't ask Bear. Even if she didn't mention names, he'd get suspicous. She could not let any cat know about this, not even her brother. That would be...no. Just. No.

She picked up her pace, hoping to reach camp before the sun rose. Even as she ran, by the time she had reached the little ravine, the sun had already risen and Bear was scurrying about. He looked nervous.

"Something wrong?" Tigress asked quietly.

Bear noticed her only then, and quickly ran over. He lookd her over quickly, worry clear on his face.

"Where the hell were you? I was worried, you idiot!" He said, but as soon as he had deemed her healthy, he stepped back and regained his composure.

"I was...Erm." She coughed, trying to make time to think of a lie. "Checking how much the river rose."

"And?"

"And what?"

Bear looked at her like she had grown antlers. "How much did it rise?" He asked.

"Oh. Ah, darn it. I saw this bird on my way back to camp and tried to catch it, but couldn't, and I totally forgot about the river. Sorry." Tigress replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was certain Bear would see right through her lie.

He gave her an accusing look, eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but just then Lion came out of his den and cleared his throat loudly. Bear and Tigress ran over and stood at attention in front of him. They both waited silently for orders, if indeed he was going to give any.

"Go scout the forest. Report back here with the damage." Lion said to bear, who turned and ran out of camp immidiately. Lion then turned to Tigress, who stared back at him defiantly.

"You go collect the herbs that were washed away." He ordered, his voice almost a growl. He offered no list of herbs or where to find any of them, but Tigress didn't mind. She kept a careful watch of the herb stock, and knew where to find most of them. She simply nodded and ran out of camp, pushing the issues with Sherlock to the back of her mind.

**A/N: I don't like this chapter at all, but i knew I had to post /something/. So here ya go. Again, I love reviews. As always. They motivate me to write. So if I get reviews, you guys get chapters. That's fair. **

**-hugs everyone reading- Thanks guys! I really am thankful to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed or favorited this story. You are all amazing. Cyber-cookies for everyone! -throws cookies in the air-**


	9. The Gang-Related Thoughts

_**Clans belong to Erin Hunter.**_

"You go collect the herbs that were washed away." He ordered, his voice almost a growl. He offered no list of herbs or where to find any of them, but Tigress didn't mind. She kept a careful watch of the herb stock, and knew where to find most of them. She simply nodded and ran out of camp, pushing the issues with Sherlock to the back of her mind.

~O~O~O~O~

Tigress ran without direction, letting her legs take her where they wanted to. She only slowed when she realized how far she was from camp, though when she stopped running fatigue began to set in quickly. Her legs ached, and her paws were sore. A few thorns that had gone unnoticed now stung, clinging to the skin on her ankles and legs.

She sat down underneath a large oak, taking a few moments to get rid of the thorns and lick the small cuts. It stung at first, but once the pain had abbed away, she was back on her feet.

She walked now, eyes peeled for the herbs that she was originally sent out for, but her mind far from the task. She thought about nothing in particular, just letting her mind drift into a lulled state as she went.

Too soon, she had located a majority of the herbs that were needed back at camp. She knew her little 'vacation', so to speak, wouldn't last long. No matter how much she wanted to take a break, her mind was always drawn back to work. Work, work, work. She couldn't help it; she just naturally needed something to do, all the time.

She trotted back to camp with a mouthful of marigold, poppies (that would be dried and the seeds harvested before they were used), borage, and burdock. She only had a few stalks of each, and she kept dropping them anyway, even after she had set down half of them near a tree to retrieve during a second trip.

When she arrived back at camp, she found Lion and Bear both missing. Sniffing around the edge of camp, Tigress found that Bear's scent trail lead in the direction of RiverClan territory. She hoped that Lion hadn't sent him out on a raid by himself, but part of her knew that was very likely. Bear had always been the muscle of the gang, and it wasn't uncommon for him to get sent on solo missions, sometimes gone for many days and nights, before coming back covered with wounds. Lion was always ruthless, giving the tom few days to recover before sending him back out.

Tigress usually had it easier, being a spy. She was never in the thick of battle, never in harm's way unless she put herself there. She felt bad for her brother, forced to fight whole she lied low and kept to the shadow. She told herself to stop worrying about him, that he was built better for fighting, that Lion knew what he was doing. However, her mind always seemed to wander, thinking of all the things that might-no, very possibly could- happen to Bear while he was off by himself.

Few times had Tigress dared to ask Lion about why he kept the two of them seperated and always put Bear in danger. When she did, Lion would say something along the lines of,

"That he what he is made to do. If I put you in a battle, your scrawny legs would do no harm, and your thin body would be broken within seconds."

The way he said it, cold and emotionless, like he didn't _care _if Tigress was killed, never failed to send a shudder through her.

Nevertheless, the gang was the only thing she knew. She could never even fathom the idea of leaving, becoming a loner, or even a rogue. It some ways, being in a gang made sense. Even if the missions were dangerous and the work was risky, there was always more strength in numbers and it was nice to know that someone had your back.

And of course, it always beat being a rogue on your own. And Tigress knew better than any cat how bad that was.

**A/N: Oh my gog, this chapter, it is so short, I'm so sorry ;-; A short chapter is better than no chapter, right...? And a little bit of info on the gang, yeah, and hooray for crappy chapter endings. -facepalm- **

**I honestly don't think this is worth reviewing but if you want to I won't stop you. **

**[EDIT] (Because I forgot) You guys are right about the swearing, and I'm going to (One of these days) Go through the story and edit all the swears to the things used in the books (Mouse dung, mousebrain, etc.) Thanks for being honest, guys, and it does kind of look weird right now. *lol***


	10. Another Meeting?

Of course, it always beat being a rogue on your own. And Tigress knew better than any cat how bad that was.

**~O~O~O~O~**

When Bear returned to camp later that evening, he wore the telltale signs of battle: he walked with a limp on his left hind paw, he was covered with wounds, his ear looked shredded. Lion was still no where to be found, so Tigress took it upon herself to treat her brother's wounds.

She applied marigold to the open wounds, then padded cobwebs on to stop the bleeding. While Bear held the cobwebs on to the worse cuts, Tigress trotted out of the den.

The brisk air nipped at her skin, her coat still thin and glossy, unprepared to the colder weather. She ignored the bite of the chill, trotting out of camp in search of Lion.

At first, the scent trail, though slightly stale, was easy to follow. However, it quickly grew fainter and fainter, until Tigress came up with nothing. She backtracked several times and tried different directions to find another part of the trail, but came back with nothing. Frustrated, she sat beside a tree, where the scent trail ended.

She was trying to think of any place Lion might go, trying to force memories of him telling her something, anything that might lead her to him. It wasn't like she liked having the brute around, but he held the gang together, and she didn't know what to do without him. The unfamiliar situation, and the possibilities, made her worry.

A rustling to her left made her jump, having been so drowned in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed a cat walking up behind the tree. Her first thought was that it was Lion, but when she got her sense back, she realized the scent was much different. It was something woodsy, more earth-like. Like soil, or grass, or maybe tree bark, mixed with the individual scent of the cat.

The cat, of course, was Sherlock. He sauntered up to her, head held high but tail swinging uncertainly.

"Tigress? Hello-o-o-o, Sherlock to Tigress." He said good-naturedly. That slight smile, almost a smirk, was still there as always.

She snapped her gaze to him, the sharp amber locking onto his grassy green.

"What do you want, pest?" She growled, taking two steps back, trying to get some distance between them. She ignored the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, forcing her exterior to be as fierce as always even though inside, it was complete turmoil.

"Just saying hi," he replied, sitting down. He looked calm, all relaxed and casual, but his eyes followed her paws as she backed away. He briefly wondered why; was she afraid of him? Nervous? Excited? Maybe she was busy, and he interupted her, or she thought he was someone else. His brow furrowed for a second before he shook his head slightly, putting on that relaxed, casual expression.

"You shouldn't be here." She stated bluntly.

"Why not?"

"I told you to stay away."

He was quiet for a moment, regarding her with a careful, even gaze. When he spoke again, his tone was matter-of-factly.

"You told me to stay away from your camp. You're pretty far from it, you know." He rose to his paws, taking a step towards her. She resisted the urge to step back. "Out here in the forest, this is any cat's turf."

She met his eyes, amber locking on green for all of two seconds before he stepped back and turned to leave.

"But I won't bother you. You seem busy." He said, glancing back at her over his shoulder once before turning around again.

"Wait!"

He stopped mid-step, but didn't turn to look at her, waiting for her to continue.

She was frozen, though, words suddenly the last thing on her mind. Why would she do that? Why would she tell him to stop, not to leave? She _was_ busy. She had to get the rest of the herbs back to camp. Why would she want to waste time talking to a loner?

When she didn't say anything, he turned around slowly to look at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Are you going to speak or just stand there frozen like an icicle?" Sherlock asked matter-of-factly. He was curious as to why she had stopped him, when she seemed so eager to get rid of him just moments before.

"I..." She stopped, still not knowing what to say. Suddenly, she remembered the dream.

Sherlock was turning to leave again, when she blurted out,

"Did you have the dream, too?"

His eyes were as wide as saucers as he spun on his back paw to face her. His heart sped, his brain buzzed.

"Did you...the dream...You had it?" He asked, shocked.

She shook her head. "We can't be thinking of the same thing. It was ridiculous of me to think-"

"Not very nice to be the one without knowledge, huh?" He interupted, adding a snarky tone for effect.

She stood frozen, unknowing of what to say, what to think.

"How did...How do you...?" She stuttered, tripping over her words.

"I had the same dream." He said, his voice sounding normal except more confident by now. "It was really sunny, and you were sitting by a stream. It wasn't muddy, it had smooth pebbles along the banks."

He had described the setting of the dream, and some of the dialogue. It must have been the same dream.

"How is that possible, though?" Tigress asked, befuddled. "No two cats have the exact same dream, it's absurd!"

He was silent for a moment before he said softly, "They say StarClan sends dreams to cats...sometimes the same dream to different cats, to try and bring them together."

"What? That's...ridiculous..." She trailed off, once she actually started thinking about it. She didn't really believe in StarClan, though she wouldn't really get in an argument over it, she just never really thought about it.

"Well...Just might be something to think about." He said, looking up from his thoughts to send a soft smile towards Tigress that he was pretty sure she didn't catch.

The she-cat in question shuffled her paws a bit, feeling nervous. Was he implying that he thought they should be...mates? She shook her head, no, that was definitely ridiculous. He probably just meant that they should be friends, or get to know each other better, or that he should join the gang. Her mind was trying to figure out every possible reason he would say something like that, anything that wasn't that he thought they should actually be together, as in, _together _together. Because that was impossible, of course.

"I...Uh...I have to get back to camp." She said, feeling the air thickening around her.

He nodded. "Right, I see. You know, we should see each other more often." At her stunned look, he elaborated. "You know, perhaps share tales of bravery and cunning, gloating about our achievements and whatnot. I'm guessing you don't get to do that much in your gang."

When she thought about it, he was kind of right. Sure, she could talk to her brother about stuff like that, but it wasn't the same, especially sine he was often in whatever story she told.

"Yeah...Maybe we...should?" It didn't really come out the way she intended it too, mouse dung why was she having such a problem with words right now. She was never this goofy and awkward.

Sherlock's smile grew. "How about the full moon, then? Here?"

She nodded, the slightest of smiles on her lips. "I'll see you then." She said, then watched as he trotted out of the clearing, tail held high with excitement. She waited a few moment more before gathering the herbs and heading back to camp, nervous and slightly excited, even though she knew she shouldn't be.

**A/N: Oh my gosh, it feels weird writing about expressions with cats, I mean do their faces even have the muscles to do that or what -facepalm-**

**Anyway yeah I'm sorry I'm so bad at updating! I'll try to update more regularly or whatever, I promise. :) **

**Review if you liked it, if you didn't reivew and tell me why so I can fix it! And I typed this while my hands were shaking so please excuse and/or tell me (nicely) any typos you see! :)**


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